COLLEGE

Cornell wrestler gains edge over rival ... for now

Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Dake, shown here flipping Iowa's Derek St. John during the finals of the 2012 NCAA Wrestling Championship. Dake, who moved up to 165 pounds this year, has won NCAA titles at three different weight classes.

Cornell's Kyle Dake edged top rival David Taylor of Penn State at the All-Star Classic
Dake beat Taylor 2-1 with an escape during their overtime tiebreaker Saturday night
The duo could face off twice more, including for the 165-pound title at March's NCAA championships

Kyle Dake of Cornell has earned the edge for now over David Taylor of Penn State. There could be two more meetings this season between two of the top college wrestlers in the nation. The stakes will rise.

Dake beat Taylor 2-1 Saturday night with an escape during their overtime tiebreaker to win the 165-pound class in the All-Star Classic at American University in Washington, D.C.

It was an exhibition match that won't count on their season records. But they are likely to meet again when Cornell and Penn State compete in the Southern Scuffle tournament Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tenn. They also could face off in March for the 165-pound title at the NCAA championships in Des Moines, Iowa.

"We both know we have a lot to work on, and I think we're both going to continue to work hard, and by the time Scuffle and March comes around we're going to be battling. … We're just going to make each other better," Dake told The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pa.

The match was 1-1 in regulation time. It stayed that way after a one-minute overtime period. The tie-breaker consisted of two 30-second periods with each wrestler getting a turn on top. Dake opened by riding Taylor for 30 seconds and holding him scoreless. When Taylor got his turn on top, Dake escaped in 22 seconds for the deciding point.

Dake, a Cornell senior, is bidding for his fourth NCAA title at his fourth different weight. He moved up to 165 pounds this season after winning titles at 157, 149 and 141 pounds. Taylor was the 165-pound NCAA champion last season as a sophomore.

Penn State, bidding for its third consecutive NCAA team title, opens its regular season at home Nov. 16 against Lehigh. The same night, Cornell opens at home against Binghamton.

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